Lust

The trap of outward appearance, whether wearing too much or too little to draw attention, has been an issue since Job made a covenant with his eyes not to look lustfully at a woman (Job 31:1). In our passage today, the apostle Peter weighs in. Peter is not writing against hairstyles, jewelry, or fashionable clothes. Instead, he is writing against the temptation to spend more time primping the fleshly “outward” look than prepping the spiritual inward character.

There is only one “monument” that can stand: A life transformed by Jesus.

Do you have anything, besides God, set up in your heart?

Don’t deny the temptation. Take steps, like Job, to live obediently.

Ask God to check your heart. Examine your sexual temptations that lead to the sins of lust, pornography, and adultery. Examine your materialistic tendencies that lead to the sins of greed and avarice. Examine your areas of personal pride that always go before a fall. Each part of the temptation is dangerous enough.